Bonaire' coast line is very rocky from is volcanic origins dating back 50 million years ago. Because of this, Bonaire only has a few white sand beaches while the rest of the coast line is full of tide pools! Park anywhere you see them and venture out to find crabs, shrimps, eels, brittle stars, sea urchins, lizards, and more! I explored tide pools during the day and at night. Generally, intertidal species are more active at night so let's have a look at what I found!

From the southern lighthouse to Lake Gotomeer, Bonaire is packed with incredible things to see! If you visit the island I highly encourage you to explore the surreal geology and curious wildlife. After living in Miami with marked off areas, paid parking, and "do not enter" signs, I felt so free. After exploring nearly the whole island, let me take you to the best places for sightseeing. 

Tap into Bonaire's east coast relaxation at Lac Bay (also known as Lac Bai). Home to over 1,000 catalogued sea turtles, Lac Bai is the ultimate spot for calm wildlife encounters. Explore tide pools with rock flower anemones, lounge on the beach, try windsurfing, unwind at Jibe City, or take a plunge into East Coast Diving. Sorobon has it all and is definitely worth a little day trip! 

From passion to purpose, I'm thrilled to now be a PADI certified Reef Renewal Diver! With this certification, I can now volunteer with Reef Renewal Bonaire to help maintain coral nurseries and outplant corals. The course itself takes two days and you must already be a certified scuba diver to participate. The first day is more introductory and theory based and the second is more in water work. You'll learn about coral ecology, how to clean the nurseries, what threats to watch out for, how to tie, hang, and fragment nursery corals, how nurseries are organized, and how to remove corals from the nursery and outplant them onto the reef. Let's dive in!

With Bonaire being the shore diving capital of the world, over 85 different dive sites are waiting to be explored! After spending two months diving an average of 2 dives per day, I'm here to drop my top 5 dive sites in Bonaire! I'll also be sharing tips for entry/exit, what you can expect to see, and maybe a few honorable mention dive sites! The National Park was closed to diving when I was there so therefore I will not be including any of those sites on here. Let's dive in!

With a car, a great exploration of Bonaire awaits! After a month on foot, I couldn't wait to get a car. I expected to have my full trip on foot since all the main car rental agencies in Bonaire rent cars to those only 25 and older. As a 20 year old, I wasn't sure if I could find a car. Below I'll discuss where to find cars, what prices to expect, and what type of car best suits your needs. 

Becoming a Divemaster was a lifelong goal of mine and it finally happened! From online coursework, to exams, to a skillset of 24 skills and helping with other courses, the Divemaster course was challenging yet rewarding. I got thrown out of my comfort zone but also perfected my skills and ultimately became a way better diver. VIP Diving Bonaire made my course nothing short of fun and I cherished my twelve intense diving days. 

Wow what an incredible apartment! I enjoyed this home away from home for two months. For the first month of my stay, I didn't have a car, so being able to walk everywhere was important. The place was so clean and the host was the BEST! She lives on Bonaire and is here to make your stay enjoyable. I loved the place and I would highly recommend staying here. I'll link the VRBO listing below. 

The beautiful corals covered in fish are indeed the expected in Raja Ampat. However, here's a list of animals I never expected to see while diving in Raja Ampat.

If you're looking for a luxurious beach getaway with insane diving and possibly even better sunsets, look no further! Wai island resort has everything! Great diving and packages, delicious food (especially the spring rolls omg), a beautiful beach, manta cleaning station right offshore, kayaks for rent, and more!